info@oxlightingconcepts.com | 616-816-2735

Request A Quote

FRequently Asked Questions

Ox FAQ 1

Have questions about our services, process, or lighting in general?

Check out our FAQ section for answers to some of the most common queries we receive. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.
Contact Us
We specialize in landscape and architectural lighting, permanent roofline lighting (including Gemstone Lights®), and lighting system maintenance to keep your setup looking and functioning perfectly year-round.
Our Gemstone Lights® system is a discreet, track-based LED lighting solution that blends into your home’s fascia. It allows you to customize colors, patterns, and schedules through a smart app, perfect for holidays, security, or everyday ambiance.
Yes! Our smart lighting systems are app-controlled, giving you full customization over brightness, colors, animations, and scheduling—right from your smartphone.
Absolutely! Our lights and components are UV-protected, waterproof, and designed to withstand all climates, ensuring long-lasting durability in any weather conditions.
We offer a lifetime warranty on our lights and a 10-year warranty on system components, giving you peace of mind that your investment is protected.

Pricing varies based on the size of your project and the type of lighting you choose. Schedule a free consultation or request a quote and we’ll provide more details based on your needs.

Yes! We provide ongoing maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to ensure your lighting system stays in top condition.
Most installations are completed in one to two days, depending on the scope of the project. We work efficiently to minimize disruption while delivering high-quality results.
Yes! Our smart lighting systems allow you to schedule timers for holidays, special events, or daily security lighting. You can even program sunrise and sunset timers for effortless automation.

It’s simple! Schedule a free consultation, and we’ll discuss your lighting goals, design options, and installation details to create the perfect lighting plan for your space.

10 Must Ask Questions Before Hiring A Lighting Contractor

You want to find out if they are an artist with lights, or if they just know how to twist wires together. Placement matters, A LOT. Inches matter, small micro clicks in one direction matter. Creating shadows on purpose, creating usability of space, up lighting and down lighting etc. Using the correct fixture for what you are trying to accomplish. The correct color, beam spread, wattage, etc. This is a live portrait of your home that you will see EVERY day, make sure you like what the artist is painting. Do they have pictures, houses to drive by, social proof? Most trades require years of training, like roofing, electrical, plumbing, concrete, design etc. Low voltage lighting requires none. An improper install will not last and you will be hiring someone else to replace it in 3-5 years (ask us how we know)

This question seems like an obvious answer. Of course the client has input, it’s your money, your home. But what you are looking for is a contractor that takes your idea/wants/plan and makes it better. Just like an artist would not let you tell them what kind of brush to use or how many tubes of paint. Neither will a lighting designer. It is our duty to give the client our best, teach, suggest, and show before a client makes a permanent decision.

95% of installers will not provide anything post install. You want to know where the wires are buried, where the connections are, how to replace a lamp or what kind of lamp is needed, etc. 3 years from now, no one will remember. A good As Built can help solve a problem within 30 minutes compared to a full day (which saves you money). Finding a problem without a plan is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Simple things like, where is it plugged in? And how to control the timer? Will save you a headache in future.

You basically want to know that they are not buying something cheap. Not buying from a box store (Home Depot, Lowes, Ewing, Site One, etc.). Those are all cheap, China made materials. A real lighting contractor and designer would never do this.

We buy high quality, American made products that are made to avoid our 7 deadly sins of lighting, from lifetimelightingsystems.com. They have a lifetime manufacturing warranty.

Landscapes can be always changing. That little 4ft tree maybe 15ft in a year or two. What is the growth rate? Does it bloom and flower in Spring? Will that need two lights in the future? Is the wiring and infrastructure planned for that? How many more lights can my system handle? How hard will it be to move that light 12” back as things grow? A good contractor will have a plan for this and document it for future additions or maintenance.

Stuff happens. Little Billy will trip on a light, or hit with a ball. Amazon drivers will knock things over, lawn guys are the worst. Maintenance-ability is one of our 7 deadly sins. Lights have to be protected and not installed in areas prone for accidents. Some lights are called ‘Integrated’ and if something breaks or stops working, you are replacing the entire fixture. If that fixture is discontinued 7 years from now, then you are replacing your entire system…. On the lights we install, every part is replaceable, we want your system to last a lifetime. If it is under warranty, how does the labor work? What if I need a small fix, what does that look like?

Not every home has a difficult challenge but any small challenge can separate a Mickey Mouse install from a true professional install. You simply want to find out they know what they are doing. Common challenges may be: lack of outlets, long wire runs, voltage drop, hiding wire, un-trenchable areas, high in trees, glare (#1 deadly sin), maintenance-ability locations, etc.

It is common that folks will use wire nuts and this is what you want to avoid. Wire nuts, electrical tape, butt splice are words that you should walk away from. Your wire will deteriorate over the years and your entire system will be trash. We SEE this all the time. You want to hear the word ‘grease.’ Even wire nuts with grease are not the best for the long term. A direct burial grease tube, and copper crimps are what every professional must use for low voltage lighting.

You also want connections at the fixture or in a Hub/Home box. You NEED to know where these are to fix things. The contractor will forget within weeks after the install (ask me how I know). All wire in the Hub boxes should be labeled, otherwise it is just a spaghetti bowl of wires and you have no clue where each goes. There should also be extra slack left so you can move a fixture as the landscape grows. It is VERY common these connections are simply buried leaving you clueless for future considerations.

This is important because the design may sound good in theory and on paper but not look good at night. This is a lot of money and something you will look at every day. We offer a ‘Glo Show’ where we set up battery powered versions of the light before we install. This way you can see exactly what our proposal will look like, and adjust as you see fit. Once the project is installed, it is still just an educated guess on what it will look like at night. We come back at night for a ‘Night Time Adjustment.’ Sometimes a small click up/down or left/right makes a big difference. Basically, you want things to be perfect, how will they guarantee that?

Things you want to hear: Placement of fixtures matters. For instance – You do not install fixtures sticking in grass. The lawn guy, or someone, will hit it. You do not want a pathlight too close to the path, it will get hit one day. One thing we like to do is install those in a boulder, makes it permanent and looks cool. Or install the tree light on the tree vs the ground.

Maintenance-ability is one of our 7 deadly sins addressed before install. Post install, landscape grows or dies, lens’s get dirty, ants/insects can invade a light, people/deer/cars/etc can bump into the lights. Basically, someone needs to maintain them if you want it to last forever. Ask what that looks like.